Peter Greene's Top 10+ as announced on Monday - Febraury 4th, 2019

This list is for providing you with easy access to these "useful" Web pages. Please visit my "Tips and Favorite Applications" Page, WEBHITZ^® for access to our Web menus! Use of the products and services offered on any of these Web pages is at your own risk! E-Mail me and give me your feedback at pgreene@infostar.com. Due to the volume of email I get I cannot possibly reply to every message!

Next show is April 8th, 2019

1. PodcastInsights.com - learn all about podcasting; includes guides, info on equipment and more to help you learn more about this interesting way to communicate with others via the Internet. Also visit: Podomatic.com, PodNews.net and use your smartphone - iPhone Podcasts or Android [Google Play/Podcasts]" to listen to podcasts.
   
2. CareGiver.org [Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)] - a resource for support of the important work of families and friends nationwide who care for adult loved ones with chronic, disabling health conditions.
   
3. HomeToGo.com [claims to be "World's Largest Vacation Rental Search Engine"] - a resource to help you compare more than 16,000,000+ offers worldwide from 300+ vacation rental websites (includes all of the popular travel sites - such as Booking.com, VRBO.com, TripAdvisor, HomeAway and many more). My negative comment about their resource is that I wish they would alphabetize their lists when citing cities or countries resource links; would make it easier to navigate.
   
4. WikiBuy.com - an online shopping resource [use their drop down menus to see how it is organized into stores and products, create an account and use their "WatchList Feature"], to try and help you save money. Wikibuy tries to get you better offers, automatically applies the best coupon code at checkout, and lets you know when prices drop on products you've viewed and purchased.
   
5. ScienceMag.org - Science Magazine continues to publish the very best in research across the sciences, with articles that consistently rank among the most cited in the worlds. Check out this great resource about science related news and topics. The Science family of publications has grown to include online journals - Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, Science Immunology, Science Robotics and the open access journal Science Advances.
   
6. CompareCards.com [launched in 2005; now by "LendingTree" which helps with online loans, mortgages and refinancing] - an online resource to help consumers research, compare and apply for the best credit card to fit their needs. Also visit: CreditCards.com.
   
7. PrintATestPage.com - use this resource to really checkout what your "black & white" or "color" printers can do for output - print test pages (documents) for testing your printers.
   
8. HiFiHelper.com - an online resource to help you understand and make a better informed decision about audio for TV's, video, home theaters and more.
   
9. NASA.gov - the official governemnt Website of the "National Aeronautics and Space Administration". Great online resource to visit - photo galleries, news, downloads [including apps, Podcasts, eBooks and more] and more. If you have not visited this Website you are missing out on information about the exploration of space - lost of great stuff! For example - checkout their "Solar System Overview". Did you know: "NASA’s Voyager 2 probe now has exited the heliosphere – the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the Sun. Comparing data from different instruments aboard the trailblazing spacecraft, mission scientists determined the probe crossed the outer edge of the heliosphere on Nov. 5. This boundary, called the heliopause, is where the tenuous, hot solar wind meets the cold, dense interstellar medium. Its twin, Voyager 1, crossed this boundary in 2012, but Voyager 2 carries a working instrument that will provide first-of-its-kind observations of the nature of this gateway into interstellar space. Voyager 2 now is slightly more than 11 billion miles (18 billion kilometers) from Earth. Mission operators still can communicate with Voyager 2 as it enters this new phase of its journey, but information – moving at the speed of light – takes about 16.5 hours to travel from the spacecraft to Earth. By comparison, light traveling from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth."
   
10. TheVerge.com [founded in 2011] - an online technology resource that covers a wide variety of subjects on the use of technology and how it impacts our lives; utilizes "product reviews [example link is on phones]", info on its impact on science, entertainment and more. Lots of details and information - you will not get bored!
    
11. Microsoft's Security Portal - This is Microsoft's Security Update Guide and is the authoritative source of information on Microsoft's security updates for all of their products.
    
12. Microsoft's Update Catalog site - It's a service from Microsoft that provides a listing of updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. You can use it as a one-stop location for finding Microsoft software updates, drivers, and hotfixes. Security-related updates are released once a month. However, if a security threat occurs, such as a widespread virus or worm, Microsoft will release a corresponding update as soon as possible. Other types of updates can be released whenever they are ready.
    
13. End of top 10 for this month
14. Windows 10 - creating a recovery thumbdrive, Windows 10 recovery drive #2 or Windows 8 or 10 recovery drive Solution #3.
    
15. Windows 10 Missing Fonts Solution #1 or try this other Windows 10 Missing Fonts Solution #2.
    
16. DoNotCall.gov - National Do Not Call Registry - Wisconsin now uses this - but here is Wisconsin's DoNotCall Web resource: Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry. Also visit: How to report unwanted calls.
    
17. How to Stop Unwanted Calls on Your Cell Phone or Landline: Lifewire.com article, HowToGeek.com article, and PCMag.com article.
    
18. Another resource to check out for Cell Phone/PC/Online privacy and security apps (software) that includes secure & encrypted chat, messaging, calling; plus password managers, Web browsing in privacy, and more is: Tom's Guide article. I use "CM Security" on my Samsung Android powered phone to screen and block almost every annoying "telemarketer" incoming cell phone call. Please note ---> that this is not an endorsement by me; it works ok but is not without its own quirks. Use it at your own risk.
    
19. Troubleshooting Windows 10 printer problemsLast show's tip on how to fix common Windows 10 printer problems (it is not you - it is Microsoft that keeps having trouble!.
    

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*** Some Extras listed below ***


20. *****macrium.com - another backup software program; also has ghosting feature (duplicating "drives" - especially hard drives - check out their FREE version of their "Macrium Reflect" software.
    
21. ****Classic Shell ---> This is a Windows 8 "free utility" to make it look more like Windows-7 or Windows XP. I have used it a few times on Windows 8 systems; and, it has worked well for me. Good luck!
    



Peter Greene's Selection of Most Popular Applications (Apps) - Software

22. Microsoft "Office" - remember Visicalc? WordStar? WordPerfect? Lotus 1-2-3? Multiplan? Also now: "Google Docs"
    
23. Adobe's "Photoshop" - they are also known for their "Creative Suite". Related - remember Corel Draw? Saw money and use "Google's Picasa".
    
24. "Google's Gmail". Also: Yahoo Mail, AOL, Outlook by Microsoft, Windows Live Mail (by Microsoft), Apple Mail.
    
25. "Google Maps" or just using your smartphone for a GPS [Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system]. Remember MapQuest?
    
26. Google's "YouTube". Along with "Twitter", "Pinterest" and "Facebook" you are a social butterfly. Remember "MySpace"?.
    
27. "eBay" - connects buyer's and seller's from all over the world.
    
28. "Speedtest.net" by Ookla; just nice to know how face your Internet connection really is. I have been using this for years and really appreciate it!
    
29. "Skype" (for traveling) - it has changed hands (owners) a few times. So the rules / costs might change just like cell phone plans do!
    
30. "WhatsApp" (for traveling) - also handy for travelling outside the U.S.
    
31. Apple's "iTunes". If you own an Apple product then you pretty much have to use it. But don't forget this handy app --->"i-FunBox" [I like the classic version]
    
32. The "Staples": Operating Systems: Free"Ubuntu" and paid for version such as Apple's OSX (Yeosemite) and Microsoft Windows 8.1 (I still like 7 over 8). I think OSX runs better and if you hate doing backups you can't beat TimeMachine in OSX. Under the hood Apple's OSX really is a version of Unix; and Linux (Ubuntu, Redhat and others) is also a version of Unix.
    
33. The other Staples: Web browser - Mozilla's "FireFox". And the others: Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Chrome, Apple's Safari.
    

*** Below are last month's choices ****

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34. spotrac.com [founded in 2007] - sports team & player contract resource. Created to help facilitate fantasy sports, and answer every day questions about player financials.
    
35. Capterra.com [founded in 1999] - a resource to help you find software solutions, to help you make a better investment decision - claims to have 650,000 verified user reviews.
    
36. Pennyful.com - a resource to help you get more out of online shopping; claims to have 1300+ stores, 4470+ coupons on 41,000,000+ products. Here is an article about the "Best Cash Back Websites"; plus also visit sites: eBates.com, Groupon.com, MrRebates.com and CouponCabin.com and others listed in the article.
    
37. Fragrantica.com - a perfume encyclopedia with searchable access to 51,000+ perfumes with 795,000+ reviews.
    
38. HealthData.gov - dedicated to making data discoverable and making valuable government data available to the public in the hopes of better health outcomes for all. The data is collected and supplied from agencies from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as state partners.
    
39. CMS.gov - a federal government Website managed and paid for by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. And, here are more federal government health Web resources to check out [but not limited to - there are many more] include: Medicare.gov and MyMedicare.gov, Medicaid.gov, and HealthCare.gov [note: Open Enrollment deadline is December 15].
    
40. econsumer.gov - is a partnership of 35+ "International" consumer protection agencies around the world - for reporting "International Scams". They state that "Your complaint helps authorities spot trends and combat fraud". Use their Website links to report "International" scams!
    
41. FTCcomplaintAssistant.gov - is the official federal government's Website to report domestic scams. Complaints from consumers help them detect patterns of fraud and abuse. The FTC would like to know about your complaint and their "Complaint Assistant" will help guide you. Also remember to get on the "National Do Not Call Registry" - visit "donotcall.gov".
    
42. InvisionApp.com - a digital product design platform that helps you to take that design and prototype and animate it, and then collaborate and engage feedback with others. The InVision platform gives you everything you need for digital product design, all in one place. They claim to have 4,000,000+ users 10,000+ companies, including eighty percent of the Fortune 100, and brands like Airbnb, Amazon, HBO, Netflix, Slack, Starbucks and Uber that use this platform to make products you love. Also visit: SketchApp.com [for the Apple Mac only] - Sketch is a vector-based design tool for Mac with a focus on screen design. It’s used primarily by screen designers who create websites, icons, and user interfaces for desktop and mobile devices. For beginners and industry professionals alike, Sketch’s powerful and easy-to-use tools allow designers to focus on what they do best; design.
    
43. VOIPReview.org and GetVOIP.com - are both Web resources to help you search and find the right Voice Over Internet Protocol solution [methodology and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet - visit "Wikipedia.org's resource Webpage on VOIP"]; there are many choices.
    
44. Microsoft's Security Portal - This is Microsoft's Security Update Guide and is the authoritative source of information on Microsoft's security updates for all of their products.
    
45. Microsoft's Update Catalog site - It's a service from Microsoft that provides a listing of updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. You can use it as a one-stop location for finding Microsoft software updates, drivers, and hotfixes. Security-related updates are released once a month. However, if a security threat occurs, such as a widespread virus or worm, Microsoft will release a corresponding update as soon as possible. Other types of updates can be released whenever they are ready.
    

Keep in mind that even though you may sign-up to be a member of a Web site - that some of your information, such as a "user name" for your membership may be accessible outside of that resource by search engines such as Google.com (this also includes images). So you may want to change your use of your "user name" across multiple sites; similar to changing your use of the same passwords to protect yourself. Or it is a question to ask yourself - how visible or invisible do I want to be online? If you associate your name (even a nickname or alias and someone knows it) with a face then you are visible.

Peter's schedule for appearing as a guest on Larry Meiller's show can seen by clicking here.

You can listen to Peter on WPR (Wisconsin Public Radio) - 970AM WHA Radio in Madison, WI monthly! It is broadcast live over the WPR radio network from the 7th floor of Vilas Hall, and is "Web casted" live via Real Audio - you'll need the "Real Audio player". The show is 90 minutes in length and covers the latest in PC computer technology , the Internet and the World Wide Web; show is a question & answer format. I have supported Wisconsin Public Radio for over 31+ years with a monthly radio show on computer technology. The show is hosted by Larry Meiller.